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We live in one of the freak towns that doesn’t have fluoride in the water. My kids have both already had cavities, so I want to make sure to follow our pediatrician/dentist recommendation to get them fluoride pills, but it hasn’t been so easy. So we don’t have to wait in line at the pharmacy every month, we had been getting our pills from Express Scripts, but we changed insurance, so now we can only use Walgreens online pharmacy. This has proved to be quite the challenge. Walgreens would not allow me to add the kids to my pharmacy account until I placed an order with physical pharmacy, so I did this first. The local pharmacy would not fill the medication because they covered only drops but not pills unless they got “extra info” from our pediatrician. After a week, this was not received. Our giant peds practice did not know somehow that this info was being requested. Finally, we just paid $11 each out of pocket for the month’s worth of pills. I was still unable to add the kids online to the pharmacy and had to call to do it. I then asked the pediatrician to call in the pills to Walgreens online. They assumed that was the same as Express Scripts and called it in there. I assure you, they are not the same. I called...

Reading a Fast Company article this morning, I was inspired to consider the ways I can keep my brain alert for the long haul. As a student, I do study most of the time so one could argue that my brain is constantly alert. It’s true that I do have to make a conscientious effort to relax my brain. But, the suggestions in the article were very helpful. I’ve slightly modified the five daily habits that were recommended to the general public to be more school friendly. With a schedule as busy as ours, the following five suggestions may not be feasible to do on a daily basis. I think weekly is more manageable. Change your diet. I recently made changes to my own diet by drinking more water. If you’re anything like me, spending money and investing in a more expensive product such as the trendy Swell bottle could motivate you to drink more water. Or, adding fruit like berries, or lemon slices, or herbs like mint, help to change the flavor of plain water. Take inventory of what you could benefit from the most. For example, if you order Domino’s 3X a week, perhaps making home cooked meals would be an appropriate swap to incorporate more greens and vegetables to your diet. I have also found that switching the grocery store you shop for food adds some...

I went to med school in a place where Lyme disease was endemic. So when I was on my Medicine rotation and one of my co-students complained about feeling tired and achy for a few days, our attending immediately said to him, “Get tested for Lyme disease.” The student was reluctant. He didn’t have a rash. Our student health plan was crappy with a huge deductible, so he would have had to pay for the test out of pocket. Also, I pointed out (from a personal Lyme scare) that he could get a false negative this early on. “Well, if you don’t want to get the test,” the attending said, “I’ll write you a prescription for doxycycline and you can just treat it.” And then we saw another attending, who totally agreed with this. Even years later, I still find this offensive. The course of treatment for Lyme is 10-21 days of antibiotics. Would you really give someone up to THREE WEEKS of antibiotics because they were tired and achy a few days? I took doxycycline and it made me throw up… not something I’d personally be excited to take for weeks for no reason. And… hello, antibiotic resistance? I’d like to believe that the attendings were just over-treating because it was a colleague and not something they recommend to all their patients. Originally syndicated from Dr. Fizzy’s Blog...

In a world where appearances matter, many people are concerned about their shape or sizes. However, the amount and distribution of body fat content are crucial to your health. According to ASCO Cancer.Net, over two-thirds of adults in America, were overweight; that is in the year 2016. What is obesity you may ask? It is a condition where an individual has unhealthy distribution or amount of fat in the body. Different factors can contribute towards becoming obese as is so in a convincing fellowship personal statement. The factors that contribute to the former include: • Hormones • Environment • Genes • Emotions, and • Cultural factors Individuals who are obese are at a higher risk of severe health conditions, e.g., heart disease, high-blood pressure, diabetes, etc. Obesity and Cancer The measurement often used, to measure one’s obesity level is the BMI, Body Mass Index. It is the ratio of one’s weight, and height and waist measurement. If you have a BMI of 30 and above, you are obese. Normal BMI ranges from, 18.5 to 24.9. It is also important to note that, people who have extensive waist measurements are at risk of contracting various diseases, e.g., heart disease. The regular waist measurement should be 40, 0r 35 inches, and below, for men and women, respectively. Several studies have been conducted to explore why obesity may increase the risk and...

As a woman doctor it seems like I can’t book an appointment with a doctor anymore without being asked if I’m okay with seeing a man. OK, they didn’t ask me when I booked an eye doctor appointment. But when I recently scheduled an urgent care visit for a stomach bug that was taking a long time to clear up, they asked me. And the OB/GYN office always asks. Personally, my first pap was done by a man, and I really liked him. My second regular ob/gyn was also a man and also great. Yes, I’m a little more uncomfortable being examined down there by a man, but honestly, it’s uncomfortable either way. It depends on the doctor more than it depends on the gender of the doctor. It’s only a recent thing that there are enough female doctors that patients can even get a choice. What bothers is me is that when they specifically ask me, it makes me feel like maybe I *should* request a woman. Why can’t they just mention the doctor’s name and see if I protest? Also, has a man *ever* been asked if he was okay with the gender of his doctor? At work, I have also been put in positions from time to time where I was pressured to see a patient for no other reason than they had “woman problems,” when...

For as long as I can remember, my new year’s resolution was to get straight A’s. Now that I am in dental school, I recognize that I want to aspire to do more than just get good grades. These days, I am perfectly content with passing and getting my degree. And I’m excited to make conscious goals for myself that focus on my life outside of academics. I narrowed it down to 5 things that I personally need to work on to have a more well-rounded, balanced lifestyle as a dental student and future medical professional. Drink more water. I recently got my blood drawn for routine bloodwork. Because I did not drink any water after waking up that morning, the nurse could not collect any blood from my veins and she tried 3 times. After being unnecessarily stuck with a needle more times than one, I finally recognized that I must drink more water. If I can get myself to finish a bottle of water on my commute to and from school everyday, I would consider that a drastic improvement. Exercise. I’m pretty sure exercise or “lose weight” is a common new year’s resolution. Even though everyone knows that routine cardio is beneficial, it’s funny how that is the first thing we eliminate from our daily routine as we start to get busy and increasingly stressed out. Exercise...

Are you on a hospital shift this Christmas? It stinks, but you have to shake the feeling of irritation or it will hound you all day. Even though the occasion should be celebrated among loved ones don’t let the Grinch steal your joy. Look at the bright side: there are patients and coworkers in the same boat. Instead of being the sullen one, take it as an opportunity to show the true spirit of the season. How can you make the holiday work merry? Plan ahead The work rotation didn’t happen overnight, it was released in advance so plan ahead. Notify your family and make adjustments, rearrange some of your valued Christmas traditions to a time when you are not working. If you are scheduled on the day shift to celebrate on Christmas Eve. Kids don’t mind opening presents any time, so open these when you’re around and leave some behind for Christmas Day. You might find a co-worker who is willing to trade shifts. Trim your workplace Christmas celebration is about decoration that makes a place cheerful. Decorate the pantry or the nurse station it will bring a festive atmosphere that will bring joy to you and your coworkers. Have each coworker bring a decoration that they would use at home, it’ll go a long way. Remember, it’s the season to celebrate, enjoy the moment. Rub the Christmas spirit...